The social and economic successes of Asia have drawn global attention to the developmental state as a possible model for developing countries. In South Africa, many, including government, see this as a possible panacea to the country's social, economic and institutional crises. However, a government committing itself to constructing a developmental state is one thing; actually implementing the necessary institutional and policy reforms to bring that into reality is another.

In this seminal collection, an interdisciplinary team of distinguished scholars examine how South Africa could go about building a democratic developmental state, while drawing on relevant conceptual models and useful comparative experiences from other countries. The macro- and microeconomic questions, as well as the institutional, governance and social challenges facing South Africa are lucidly analysed, as are the country's advantages; such as its existing constitutional democracy, rents from its mineral resources and the commitment of its political leadership to creating a democratic developmental state.

Providing an eloquent and intelligent account of what the state's primary goals should be at this point, the contributors make the case that for South Africa to become a developmental state that is both democratic and socially inclusive, economic and social policy have to be intertwined; development and democratic agendas have to be mutually reinforcing; and a competent bureaucracy needs to be built to enhance state capacity.

An authoritative and comprehensive study that illuminates the political economy of economic development, this work is invaluable for anyone interested in the political and economic future of South Africa and similar developing countries.

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Contents

1. Constructing a democratic developmental state in South Africa: potentials and challengesOmano Edigheji

13. Intermediate skills development in South Africa: understanding the context, responding to the challenge Salim Akoojee

PART FIVE Agrarian reform

14. The agrarian question and the developmental state in southern AfricaSam Moyo

Contributors

Index

About the Author/s

Dr Omano Edigheji specialises in the political economy of development and is Research Director in the Policy Analysis Unit of the Human Sciences Research Council.

Reviews

"This book is a thoughtful contribution to the debate on the relationship between state and market. When economic orthodoxy has got it so spectacularly wrong, with such painful social consequences, we need fresh ideas. This book explores some new ideas on the role of the developmental state that is timely in the new global policy environment." - Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Economic Development, South Africa

“These pioneering contributions should be required reading for those seriously interested in understanding the conditions for creating developmental state success, including political, social and economic reforms.” - Jomo Kwame Sundaram, United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development

"An excellent volume that offers a compelling overview of how, beyond neo-liberalism, the developmental state can be made the centrepiece of a global strategy for achieving a balanced and sustainable socio-economic transformation." -Adebayo Olukoshi, Director, United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning

“There is no equivalent book yet that brings the developmental state idea in line with South African needs and possibilities.” - Bill Freund, Emeritus Professor of Economic History, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Voice of the Cape (English) - Medium
Drive Time

Human Sciences Research Council Press - New

The Human Sciences Research Council Press is launching a publication entitled 'Constructing a Democratic Developmental State in South Africa: Potentials and Challenges'. An interview with the editor Omano Edigheji.
(Int:) Omano Edigheji - Research Director: HSRC
Duration : 00:15:17

"... a pioneering book for anyone interested in understanding the conditions for creating developmental state success, including political, social and economic reforms." Money Marketing Magazine, 30 June 2010